The Mollusk

As every Ween record The Mollusk is a total chaos of styles, ideas and brown humor. It starts with the incredibly funny "I'm Dancing in the Show Tonight" with the subject stating to have no stage fright at all. "The Mollusk", "Mutilated Lips", "Buckingham Green" and "Ocean Man" are psychedelic songs with beautiful melodies. "I'll Be Your Jonny on the Spot" is one of the heavier songs and "Waving My Dick in the Wind" is as stupid as Ween can get. Often the craziness obscures the great songwriting and also fabulous guitar play on this album. Don't take it all so serious and take a bit of this delicious and fulfilling treat.

A certified classic. While I think "Quebec" is their best work, this is just such an insanely comforting album. Immediately made my day better just from seeing the album cover. Definitely should have been on the list. If not for the fantastic music, then surely for directly inspiring Spongebob. Easy 5/5.

This is the only Ween album I've listened to before and I'd be lying if I called it an instant love. But it _is_ an album that has grown on me with repeated listens. Ween operate in a similar lane to Zappa and Claypool in the sense of being overtly quirky and non-serious while demonstrating an ability to craft amazing songs. I think the degree to which you enjoy this album largely centers around whether you find the quirkiness distracting. And to be sure, it is a defining quality of this record. But I for one think that the strength of the songwriting and production + sequencing tip the balance in favor of this album. It's an entirely fun ride that has a distinctly mind-altering feel about it and transitions seamlessly between indie-psych-pop (The Mollusk, Buckingham Green), Irish seafaring odes (The Blarney Stone), and pure quirk (Waving My Dick in the Wind, Mutilated Lips, Pink Eye - On my Leg). I for one think it takes a great deal of skill to make a songs as ridiculous as Mutilated Lips, The Golden Eel, and Pink Eye - On My Leg as endearing as they are. And even more skill to clean up as nicely as they do on Buckingham Green into a form that you could share with your mom. Each listen brings me closer to this album -- I should probably delve deeper into their discog... Soft 5 for me.

As in all things Ween, *The Mollusk* starts with a joke, the novelty cut "I'm Dancing In The Show Tonight". From the music hall ambience of that strange opener, ripe with saloon piano, a woods section and cartoonish high-pitched vocals, and given the album's title and artwork, you brace yourself for a bizarre, very tongue-in-cheek musical with a nautical theme, and not much else. Which *The Mollusk* also is, of course, lol. But at the same time, it's way more than just *that*. Enter the second cut and title-track, very pretty with its bubbly synth hook, but also oddly emotional -- even if the emotions are still somewhat unstated -- and here you are already sensing that as much this album hides its true ambitions close to the chest, they are already showing somehow. Likewise, "Polka Dot Tail" sounds like another weird ditty at first, yet some genuine sense of anxiety seeps in at the end. "I'll Be Your Jonny on the Spot" is then a fun electro-punk romp (should I *really* mention each and every 180-degree stylistic turn in a Ween album???) leading to the prog-rock tones of the terrific "Mutilated Lips", graced with gansgta rap synth whistles, wonderful guitar harmonies and yet another high-pitched vocal part, this time unsettling with its graphic obsession with those titular lips. Prog rock indeed, but mostly progressing further towards surreal madness. Those prog-rock elements are incidentally what gives a surprising cohesiveness to the project, by the way -- contaminating all the other genres tackled in the tracklist, even those not closely related to it. And they also give a confessional aura of sorts to what might secretly be a break-up album in the guise of a musical about the sea -- a maritime musical which half of the lyrics soon forget anyway, suggesting the impressions a rather schizoid mind. It's as if the whole thing was experienced by a lovelorn character slowly turning crazy and hallucinating all sorts of things in his mind's eye. After the offensive sea shanty "The Blarney Stone", "It's Gonna Be (Alright)" is a surprisingly forthcoming ballad about letting your loved one go, which underlines the confessional undertones sensed before. Like the tides, the sea then returns with the ominous ternary rhythms of "The Golden Eel", once again "progressive" but here in a very sly fashion. Traditional song "Cold Blows the Wind" follows -- it seems to take its gothic program and supernatural yarn about love being stronger than death quite seriously, and you may think that Dean and Gene Ween are fully grown-ups by that point. Have the Ween brothers here turned into earnest artists, not indulging in self-irony anymore? Of course, that's exactly the moment when they pull the rug from under your feet, with the 100% absurd instrumental "Pink Eye (On My Leg)" and the cowpunk track "Waving My Dick in the Wind" (still surreptitiously displaying whiffs of a painful break-up, in spite of its jokey shenanigans). Back to *Chocolate And Cheese* turf, are we? Well, not really. This was just a red herring for the first fans -- unless it was a gold nugget for them. Whatever the case is about that digression, the next cut, the magical "Buckingham Green", suddenly feels so epic and sophisticated (in an admittedly very Ween fashion), you could almost think it's a tribute to Peter Gabriel-era Genesis. Maybe it actually is. When you listen to its strings-laden conclusion you can actually bet it is. Right? And then, out of nowhere, "Ocean Man" surges from the very contradictory waves made by the duo so far. Instantly catchy. Lovely, lively and enticing. Simply iconic. Only two minutes and one of the best pop-rock songs of all time. For real. I'm dead serious here. Equally short ballad "She Wanted to Leave" can then conclude the proceedings, confirming that the whole thing is, at its core, a prog-rock break-up album (read the title of the song again). Right after the track ends, you have a novelty coda circling back towards the tones of the opener, but this one despondent and forlorn, with menacing sounds of wind wooshing in the background like in a Fellini film. Unless the record makes a final stop in David Lynch's liminal world... It's a glimpse inside the tormented soul of someone but *who*? And that last picture isn't really pretty, as fun as what we've heard before was. True works of art can be as exciting and disturbing. And there's certainly a bit of that in *The Mollusk*, that one album where Ween finally abandoned most of their initial college humour (in spite of one or two relapses) and embraced a far more promising artistry, filled with mystery and sudden poetic turns -- and this without ever betraying the crazy attitude that has been part of their DNA from the start. Doing so, they ended up influencing plenty of current rock artists, like Kurt Vile or Geese's Cameron Winter, both absolute fans of this album (and the rest of the band's discography). When you listen to Geese today, a bankable and trendy band for sure, you really feel like their own fantasy and lack of boundaries owes something to the 'Ween brothers'. At the time of *Chocolate And Cheese* (decidedly a poor choice for the original list, contrary to *Quebec*), no one in their right mind would have predicted such an outcome. But by 1997 and *The Mollusk*, the more perceptive ears of the late nineties may have already sensed what would happen long term (I certainly didn't at the time, ha ha!). This record is part of the "canon" now, simply put. It challenges the very concepts of fun and seriousness, straddles the line between parody and earnestness, sounds in turns elated or sinister... It seems to tell several stories at the same time, only for you to realize at the last minute that there really was only *one* story. Treacherous like the sea, but also offering an ocean of possibilities and interpretations, rock music doesn't get more unpredictable than this. 4.5/5 for the purposes of this list dedicated to essential albums, rounded up to 5 9.5/10 for more general purposes (5 for the production values and overall musicianship + 4.5 for the artistry) ---- Number of albums from the original list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 465 Albums from the original list I *might* include in mine later on: 288 Albums from the original list I won't include in mine: 336 ---- Number of albums from the users list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 113 (including this one) Albums from the users list I *might* select for mine later on: 118 Albums from the users list I won't select for mine: 262 ---- Émile, *quatre* nouveaux messages pour toi au dessus, du *Solid State Survivor* de Yellow Magic Orchestra au *Atrocity Exhibition* de Danny Brown

Hands down Ween's best album. Should be on the official list in place of Chocolate and Cheese.

Quite fun! Lots of creativity on display. Definitely purely worth it!

A weird album by a weird band made up of weird guys, with weird songs done weirdly. In a good way!

This is one chaotic mix of genres, that somehow work quite well

Rock experimental. Me ha gustado. Un 4.

A wonderfully nautical themed album, The Mollusk is "neo-psychedelia" in the truest sense of the term, crafting psychedelic soundscapes using synths, country instrumentals, and vocal processing, instead of traditional 60s/70s methods. I have a bias towards aquatic sounding albums so this album definitely tickles me. Up to this point Ween had been a very weird and sometimes experimental band (except for the country album) but The Mollusk is an insanely accessible album despite its quirks, Ween manage to blend a variety of different genres (folk, prog, country, even sea shanties) into a very palatable package. Since this genre hops so much it never gets too boring or samey, and surprisingly Ween have made a surprisingly cohesive album despite the assortment of genres on display. The Mollusk has a sort of childish quality, not necessarily immature (though it is pretty immature) but more in a childlike wonder kind of way. The title track and Ocean Man are the best examples of this. I think this aspect of the album is the secret sauce that ties everything together, I think childishness isn't utilised very well in art and Ween are one of the few acts weird enough to pull it off. Even the more adult songs (such as the ones about drugs and The Blarney Stone which is excessively vulgar) still retain this childlike quality. This album was apparently a big inspiration for the cartoon series SpongeBob SquarePants, which checks out. Another major theme of the album is traditional music, specifically in an old-fashioned sense, such as sea shanties and traditional folk songs. The helps add to the sailor-esque theme that runs through the album. Cold Blows the Wind, one of the finest songs on The Mollusk is even a cover of a traditional Irish folk song. I think this is easily Ween's finest record and combines all of their positive qualities with none of their worst impulses like some of their other albums do. Should it be on the main list: Yes, Ween should have a minimum of 1 album and could very well have 3. Top songs: Mutilated Lips, Ocean Man, She Wanted to Leave

Strangely kind of a lowkey Ween release. Of course there’s a unique atmosphere inherent to most Ween songs, but this time it came off as especially distant. Still, very good album

I think this is my favorite Ween album. I return to it a lot. I didn't even need to listen to it today, per se. I have basically the whole thing memorized. But I love it so much I was happy for the excuse to put it on.

I tend to like Ween except when they veer too far into weirdness. This album contains about the right amount of weird for me. 4 stars.

Yllättävän toimiva kokeilulevy!

Children’s songs unsuitable for children? Songs from a cult TV show without the TV show? I’m torn on this one. It’s crap but it’s crap I can see people keeping and showing people. “Check out this great crap.” I think that’s the review. Great crap.

Only knew one song by Ween going into this so I was expecting yacht rock. Was not expecting the weird. OCEAN MAN 🌊 😍 Take me by the hand ✋ lead me to the land that you understand 🙌 🌊 OCEAN MAN 🌊 😍 The voyage 🚲 to the corner of the 🌎 globe is a real trip 👌 🌊 OCEAN MAN 🌊 😍 The crust of a tan man 👳 imbibed by the sand 👍 Soaking up the 💦 thirst of the land 💯

I feel like I tried to get into Ween year ago but nothing really clicked. Let's try again together! Yeah I can see why it never really clicked. While this is certainly unique and a bit fun it tows the line of being weird just to be weird. I'll give them something for creativity though!

I've heard Ocean Man many times, but never the full album before. I can see the appeal, but Ocean Man is the best track by a mile.

Ween is so fing weird man

Interesting and odd at times, probably deserves to be on the list for being so out there.

Thought this had been here already actually

Definitely the best of the 3 Ween albums submitted. If you like this, more power to you. I thought it was just okay. My personal rating: 3/5 My rating relative to the list: 3/5 Should this have been included on the original list? No

Per usual, Ween provides a trippy rock experience here with their standard blend of solid rock chops and tinge of weirdness. This LP feels a bit more scattershot even by the band's loose standards, though, and feels more like a grab-bag of styles and moods rather than a cohesive album. Gets a bump based solely on the pure joy of 'Ocean Man,' not a bad album at all, just more disjointed than I would prefer.

I was an early adopter on Ween (pre-Guava), though as so often the case only by riding the coattails of my brother's superior awareness. So I'm a partisan. Still I think they're overrepresented on this list at this point. As well, I do feel like the aggressive whimsy loses some of its shine when delivered on a well-finded, full studio package. This is still good.

Weirdo rock is weird

Fine I guess

Ween aren't for me, so neither is The Mollusk, though I did enjoy The Blarney Stone enough for it to get a 2/5.

quite chaotic

Never been a fan of Ween. Just never got them and I don't find the mix they manage in this record to be of particular interest to me.

Much better than the previous "Chocolate & Cheese"? Yes. Is it worth it to listen before dying? Not sure, but I'm betting on the "No" side this time. Maybe in another mood I could rate it better, mainly due to the variety of styles that they are able to play